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Easternlake lady

Beach Comber
Jun 17, 2013
26
10
What happens when the outfall at Eastern Lake causes the water to redirect, on its way to the ocean, across someone's 'No Trespassing' property line?

Here's what happened today (some of this I observed; some was told to me second/third hand): The lake took a hard right turn from around the Eastern Lake beach access as it connected to gulf. Lots of folks were floating all along the "river" in inner-tubes; others sitting in the mostly shallow water, many playing with their children. A man and his son with an inner-tube came by where we were sitting and complained that some women had told them they couldn't be in the water in front of a house because it was on private property and that they had called the Sheriff. Interestingly, the ladies who did this did not own either of the homes effected; they had come from the other side of the lake.

Sure enough the sheriff came and talked for awhile to some of the people (not the ladies who made the call - they observed from a distance). They didn't make anyone leave the water. In the meantime another lady who either owned or was renting one of the houses had a long talk with the Sheriff's official. It looked like she was saying that if you followed the path of the previously intact fence that had defined their private beach area, it would go out into the middle of the "river" and that part of the water should be off limits.

Sounds weird to me. The walkway/beach access for that house, which was private and no one else was using, was partially washed away. I could see there might be some liability there if someone tried to use it, but the argument according to some was that they could not be in the water!!

May be more to this? Anyone know?
 

Mike Jones

Beach Fanatic
Dec 24, 2008
349
195
First it's important to say that no one should have been allowed to build near a lake or outfall. I would love to see the county or state buy property near outfalls to protect the natural meandering ways - it's the only way to ensure the health of coastal dune lakes. Luckily several are surrounded by state land.

However the horse is out of the barn and houses built right on an access are a problem. At oyster lake there was a lot washed away and as I recall the owners sued the county to allow them to replace sand and build, which they eventually did. Now that lake has a pitiful little unnatural outflow that has to be controlled. Of course there was already a house on the other side. I think the new bridge is part of an attempt to control the outflow.

The ladies you speak of should be ashamed. Sounds hard to believe such people exist. They don't belong here any more than the south Florida architecture and palm trees that now dominate our landscape.

Eastern Lake has houses built right up on the access and the lake is ruined.

Imagine if Walton County had used millions from BP to buy a few of those houses and create parks and protect one of our major attractions instead of spending that money in a short-sighted attempt to get more people to come here. In hindsight our dip in tourism after the oils spill would have rebounded quickly - but partly as a result of BP spending we have way too many people visiting here now which is ruining our beaches.

That my friends is ironic. BP has done more damage to our beaches from causing increased visitors than from oil pollution.

Sorry for the digression.

Local beach-loving South Waltoners with common sense need to speak up. Will we let greed continue to degrade our piece of paradise or will we speak up?
 

justhavinfun

Beach Fanatic
Nov 13, 2008
373
140
Eastern Lake
This is complex problem and in all honesty not one easily solved. Rather then regurgitate past history about why the problem exists, there are three groups responsible for the current state of Eastern Lake. First off Mother Nature - between past storms , hurricanes and then accompanying storm surge the outflow at Eastern Lake will change directions at any given time. That said 14 years ago the outflow was fairly straight and in a southern path and there actually was plenty of property belonging to the two homeowners affected by the beach erosion but now that has changed and you can't fool with mother nature. Secondly, when the water level at Eastern Lake gets high due to rain, many docks and some homeowners experience flooding in their back yard. The county normally hesitates to take any action so a select few property owners head to the outflow at night and in a clandestine effort dig the flow out to drain the lake. Once again when this happens the flow of the water takes whatever course it selects and the outflow direction is selected by where the lake was dug and gravity. The last group responsible is our visiting tourists - Families and kids think its really cool to dig the lake open when it's high and once again cause the outflow to take whatever direction it want's. I can't tell you how often this happen and how many times I have gone directly to the people and asked to cease and desist. There is a fine associated with this but as long as tourists generate county revenue, the WSCO will never take action.

As far as the No Trespassing sign goes, I am some what familiar with the proper owner in question and /she he is fairly new to the area. I also observed kids just last week on his property jumping off his land into the outflow with parents right there watching. There are two property owners affected by this and quite frankly I feel sorry for both. One persons house is on the verge of disaster and has lost significant property due to the erosion and the other who I believe you are referenced probably paid a nice chunk of change for the house and property and is seeing it disappear before his eyes. I don't believe in any private beach and kind of despise those No Trespassing signs but the problem is a way more complex problem then just No Trespassing. And for the record, the county has attempted to address the outflow problem but it needed to enter a homeowners property to bring an equipment. That same person agreed with the stipulation that the county fork over 25 ft of property in return . Such as deal. That person is not one of the ones you have referenced. So there you go, not an easy problem to address for anyone but sooner or later something has to happen. Even if the county were to purchase the property in question, whats to prevent the same problem from occurring ?
 

UofL

Beach Fanatic
Jan 21, 2005
693
443
Louisville KY
We will be at Commodores later this month for the first time in more than a decade. Thought we'd try being right on the beach & see how important it is. It use to get the only way we'd stay. Anyway, water quality is sometimes iffy here - as it is at most spots along 30A. Hopefully it will be an enjoyable week otherwise. The only issue we might have us parking. Looks really crowded when we drove by last month. Oh well. One week at least sitting on a balcony looking out toward the beach. When not on the beach. That might trump Seaside.
 

NotDeadYet

Beach Fanatic
Jul 7, 2007
1,422
489
The county had an opportunity years ago to buy the house most in peril from the outflow. If you were around during Hurricane Dennis you will remember that's it's rather amazing that house didn't fall in. The county turned down a purchase when it could have solved at least part of the problem.
I don't have any sympathy for folks who dig open the outlet. They are trying to make it take a particular path but all the outlets often change course towards the west. Nobody I know wants a solution like what happened at Oyster Lake.
Dock owners should have installed floating docks like WaterColor has on Western Lake.
 

Lake View Too

SoWal Insider
Nov 16, 2008
6,861
8,295
Eastern Lake
This is complex problem and in all honesty not one easily solved. Rather then regurgitate past history about why the problem exists, there are three groups responsible for the current state of Eastern Lake. First off Mother Nature - between past storms , hurricanes and then accompanying storm surge the outflow at Eastern Lake will change directions at any given time. That said 14 years ago the outflow was fairly straight and in a southern path and there actually was plenty of property belonging to the two homeowners affected by the beach erosion but now that has changed and you can't fool with mother nature. Secondly, when the water level at Eastern Lake gets high due to rain, many docks and some homeowners experience flooding in their back yard. The county normally hesitates to take any action so a select few property owners head to the outflow at night and in a clandestine effort dig the flow out to drain the lake. Once again when this happens the flow of the water takes whatever course it selects and the outflow direction is selected by where the lake was dug and gravity. The last group responsible is our visiting tourists - Families and kids think its really cool to dig the lake open when it's high and once again cause the outflow to take whatever direction it want's. I can't tell you how often this happen and how many times I have gone directly to the people and asked to cease and desist. There is a fine associated with this but as long as tourists generate county revenue, the WSCO will never take action. As far as the No Trespassing sign goes, I am some what familiar with the proper owner in question and /she he is fairly new to the area. I also observed kids just last week on his property jumping off his land into the outflow with parents right there watching. There are two property owners affected by this and quite frankly I feel sorry for both. One persons house is on the verge of disaster and has lost significant property due to the erosion and the other who I believe you are referenced probably paid a nice chunk of change for the house and property and is seeing it disappear before his eyes. I don't believe in any private beach and kind of despise those No Trespassing signs but the problem is a way more complex problem then just No Trespassing. And for the record, the county has attempted to address the outflow problem but it needed to enter a homeowners property to bring an equipment. That same person agreed with the stipulation that the county fork over 25 ft of property in return . Such as deal. That person is not one of the ones you have referenced. So there you go, not an easy problem to address for anyone but sooner or later something has to happen. Even if the county were to purchase the property in question, whats to prevent the same problem from occurring ?

Your post was very informative and factual, but left out one significant fact. In 2004, after Hurricane Ivan, the property owner to the east of the inlet, was allowed, under suspicious circumstances, to dump 25 dump truck loads of off-color sand on his property (the wide part that everybody thinks is county owned) This event, which had nothing to do with Mother Nature, has made it impossible for the inlet to meander back as it use to do periodically in the past. The house on the west side was built in the seventies, and was probably a hundred yards from the inlet at that time. The events of 2004 and 2005 started the unfortunate erosion, not the homeowner's house. I know we all want to play in the inlet like we have for decades, but we have to have respect for this man's difficult situation.
 

Matt J

SWGB
May 9, 2007
24,643
9,496
I'm sorry, but I've heard the complaints about that property owner dumping sand for years. In the grand scheme of things 25 dump trucks of sand is about as effective as as a child with a small bucket. That person also lost a ton of money when the property sold last year.

With all that said, the portion of the outfall north of San Roy is actually owned by the Walton County Port Authority, bet you didn't know we had one? The southern portion is owned by the owner of the western most home on San Roy, but is unbuildable.
 

Lake View Too

SoWal Insider
Nov 16, 2008
6,861
8,295
Eastern Lake
I have photos of the 25 loads of sand and it looks a lot like a dam. I also have GPS survey maps that my brother (who works for the DEP) made, that shows the course if the inlet before the sand, and the course of the inlet, after the sand. It is incontrovertible evidence that the sand contributed to shifting the course further west than it normally would shift.

If you look at the inner mouth of the inlet , there is now a sandbar that simply was never there for the 55 years I have been observing this lake. It is the remnants of the dam that was dumped in 2004.

I have talked with engineers who say that the composition of the sand dumped was more suitable for compacting (used for construction foundation work) than the natural sand. Hence, the sandbar doesn't go away, and natural forces can't eat away the dam of 2004.
 
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Lake View Too

SoWal Insider
Nov 16, 2008
6,861
8,295
Eastern Lake
At the risk of beating this horse to death, I am still puzzled why people are so outraged by the fact that occasionally someone digs the inlet out, perhaps a day or two before it opens naturally. Although it is illegal, I hardly think it compares to a developer dumping 25 dump truck loads of compacting sand in the historic flood zone of a coastal dune lake, and irreversibly destroying a wonderfully, self-sustaining ecosystem, and unnecessary erosion on his neighbor.
 
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